Of hospitals and hospitality
by countbackwardsfrominfinity
Summary: This story was previously uploaded, but I decided to make some changes. The 104th is a small restaurant in which Jean and Eren are head chefs and Armin is part of the waiting team. Annie needs work and so begins a trial as a kitchenhand. Aruannie because the ship stole my heart.


_**Edit: Apologies guys. I made a mistake when I uploaded this fic originally and it was uploaded as "in-progress" when it should have been "complete". So at the moment there won't be any continuations for this fic, since I'm having writers block. But if you guys have any suggestions or would like to see something added on, please let me know and I'll try and write another chapter.**_

**CHAPTER 1**

"2 specials and a Caesar salad!"

Armin Arlert called through the serving window into the kitchen of the small restaurant where he worked, informing the

chefs of their latest order.

"Got it!" Came the reply from one of the duo, Eren Jeager. His messy brown hair plastered to his face as he worked the grill, the heat causing his face to redden and his sea-green eyes to stand out in stark contrast, almost as if he was about to burst into a fit of rage.

"Careful you don't mess up those orders again Jaeger." Was the sly reply from the second chef, Jean Kirschstein, slightly

taller than Eren and with pale yellow eyes, but equally as hot in the small kitchen.

"Shut up horseface, it was one time."

"Rubbish, there was the time you messed up the steak for that levi guy and his boyfriend, the tall blonde dude, Erwin or something. Then you forgot the sauce on the chicken for Mr. Pixis, and you..."

Armin sighed and turned away from the small window, heading back towards the dining area of 104th, the little restaurant he'd found a part time job at. His friend Eren had actually got him the job, putting in a good word for him with the owner Mr. Shadis. Armin had only met Shardis once, but that had been enough. With his drill-sergeant attitude and megaphone voice, Mr. Shadis looked like he'd be more suited to the military instead of owning an eating establishment. Armin had to conclude though, that Shadis was firm but fair. The two cooks, Eren and Jean were always at each other's throats, but they were good at what they did. Jean was a natural in the kitchen, while Eren had had to work hard to improve, but improve he had, and now Jean grudgingly considered him his equal, although Eren would never hear it from Jeans mouth.

The restaurant was fairly quiet at that moment, and Armin had some time to reflect on his other co-workers. There was Eren and Jean, himself, Jeans friend Marco, a freckled and kind hearted person who was the head waiter, and the over enthusiastic waiter/waitress duo, Connie and Sasha, rounded out the team. Connie was slightly shorter than Armin, and had a buzz cut, as opposed to Armins golden blonde bowl cut, but Connie had more than enough energy for the both of them, Sasha Braus, Connie's partner in crime was taller than Armin and had brown hair, always tied back into a ponytail.

"Those two are almost as bad as Eren and Jean." Mused Armin, "albeit in a less snappy, more carefree way."

"Order up!" Eren's voice came through the restaurant, and Armin turned back towards the kitchen to pick up the meals. Making his way to the tables of the waiting customers, Armin presented them with their dishes and turned towards the door just in time to see Erens childhood friend, Mikasa Ackerman walk through the door. Her slender figure and oriental features turned the few heads left in the restaurant at this hour, but Armin had also grown up with her, rather predictable really, since all three of their families lived in the same neighborhood.

"Good evening Mikasa! How was your day?"

"Hello Armin. It was good. Busy, but good. A few new rookies to class, but they'll learn quick."

Armin grinned at the thought of Mikasa teaching new students the basics of martial arts at the local dojo, but was silently thankful he never took lessons.

"Is Eren here?" Mikasa asked.

Armin nodded and pointed towards the kitchen, where the unmistakable sounds of another argument were coming through the serving window. Mikasa nodded and smiled at Armin before making her way towards the kitchen, leaving Armin to clear the few plates left by diners. After the plates had been cleared and Connie and Sasha had replaced the table clothes and cutlery (after more than a few Wolverine imitations and spoon balancing competitions), Armin took off his apron and stretched his back, which had become quite stiff after a 5 hour shift.

"Armin, come on, I'll give you a lift home." Mikasa re-emerged from the kitchen, Eren at her side and Jean trailing close behind with a rather sour look on his face, which disappeared when Marco walked over.

"Good plan, we should go too Jean." Said Marco.

"We're good, we're going to go out for a bit." Piped in Connie, indicating himself and Sasha, who was already slightly pink in the face, and the bottle of wine in her hand didn't go unnoticed by anyone.

As the staff said goodnight to each other and went their seperate ways, Armin walked over to Mikasas car with his friends.

"Blast, hang on a second. I forgot my bag." Armin cursed as he realised he'd left his satchel in the restaurant.

"It's cool. We'll wait in the car." Mikasa replied, as she and Eren continued into the carpark.

Hurrying back to the restaurant and unlocking it, Armin searched behind the counter for his satchel, not hearing the ringing of the bell above the door as someone entered the restaurant.

"Ah, there it is." Finding what he was looking for, Armin straightened up and found himself speechless as he looked across the counter at who had walked into the restaurant.

Standing across from him was very pretty blonde girl, slightly shorter than himself, but she gave off an aura of self-confidence. Some might have described her as plain, as she wore a dull grey hoodie and torn, faded black jeans, and they might have been unimpressed at her rather prominant nose, but Armin found that it suited her face, and enhanced her sky-blue eyes. Snapping himself back to consciousness as the girl raised her eyebrow, in an expression of amusement or annoyance Armin couldn't tell, he attempted to speak.

"C-can I help you?"

"Are you guys looking to hire?" The girl asked bluntly.

"I'm sorry?"

"I'm looking for work. Are you guys hiring?" She repeated.

"Um, uh, well, we aren't exactly looking for anybody, but extra help is always welcome. I can leave a resume' for the owner if you want."

The blonde girl nodded, and without a word, produced a folded sheet of paper from the pocket of her hoodie and handed it to Armin, who opened it and glanced at it quickly.

"Okay Annie, well, I'll give this to the owner and he'll get back to you."

Annie nodded, and strode out of the restaurant, leaving Armin to stare at her retreating form until the door closed and shut off his view of her. Shaking his head, Armin exited the restaurant, leaving Annies resume on Shadis' desk before he left, and re-locking the door before finally clambering into Mikasas car.

"What took you so long? Eren demanded from the front passenger seat. "Did that girl have something to do with it? Who is she? What did she want?"

"Eren," Mikasa warned "You're asking a lot of questions and not giving him any time to answer."

Armin looked out the window before replying.

"Sorry, I got caught up. That girl was looking for work and I said I'd put in a word to Shadis."

"What was she like? Can she cook? Horseface and I are kind of swamped at the moment." Eren immediately launched into another tirade of questions and inappropriate comments directed towards Jean."

Armin just shrugged, still looking out the window. "I dunno Eren, I just said I'd leave her resume' and Shadis would get back to her."

That seemed to satisfy Eren, who turned around and sank back into the seat as Mikasa put the car into gear and began the drive home.

**CHAPTER 2**

"Arlert! Come here for a minute." Shadis' unmistakeable boom of a voice came through the restaurant, where Armin, Connie Sasha and Marco were prepping for service that night.

"Coming sir!" Armin replied, putting down the cutlery he was polishing and walking out back, through the kitchen and into Shadis' office.

"What's this?" Shadis' asked, as soon as Armin had walked through the door, waving Annie's resume' in the air.

"She came in last night sir, and said she was looking for work. I just took her resume' and said you'd look at it."

"Hmmm. Says here she has some experience in a kitchen, but she isn't a qualified chef. Maybe I'll hire her as a kitchenhand."

Armin secretly hoped Annie would be hired, but didn't say anything.

Glancing up, Shadis' seemed to notice Armin again. "What are you doing standing there man! Get back to work."

"Sorry sir." Armin walked back to the dining area and picked up the cutlery again.

Armin lay on his bed, rather content with himself on his day off, reading one of the many pieces of literature that adorned the bookshelves in his room. As he was about to turn the page into historical military maneuvres, his cellphone rang on his bedstand. Picking it up and looking at the caller ID, Armin swiped the screen to answer.

"Hello Eren."

"Armin, wassup. Whatcha doing?"

"Reading."

"Again? Man, you're always reading."

"Well there are many things to read about Eren." Armin answered, accustomed to this conversation, which he had had many times before.

"Yeah yeah, whatever, I only like that book about the oceans you gave me. Hey, wanna come out today and go shopping? Mikasa doesn't have to teach today, and I want some new clothes."

Armin considered this for a moment, he'd been working hard for the past week and had been looking forward to reading this book, but then again, he needed some new shirts for work and he'd seen some interesting books in that new bookstore...

"Okay then. I'll go."

"Sweet. Mikasas coming around to my place in 10, so we'll be at yours in 15."

Marking his spot in the book, Armin rolled out of bed and grabbed the first pair of shorts that came to hand and slipped on a T-shirt. As he made his way downstairs, he popped into the kitchen where his mother and father were discussing their latest travel plans.

"Mom, dad, I'm just going over to the mall with Eren and Mikasa."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Called Armins grandfather from the living room.

Rolling his eyes at his grandfathers humour, Armin hugged his parents, waved at his grandfather and stepped outside, waiting for his friends.

"Morning guys." Armin greeted his friend as he shut the door of the car and Mikasa pulled away from his house.

"Good morning Armin." Replied Mikasa. A jerk of the chin was all Armin got from Eren, who was too busy pressing buttons on his phone to reply.

"What are you doing?" Armin asked curiously, as Eren ground his teeth and made a fist.

"Playing this game called Flappy Bird." Eren shot back. "And it's pissing me off."

"Eren." Mikasa reprimanded him for his tone of voice, and Eren had the dignity to look slightly upset and turned to Armin.

"Sorry dude. Didn't mean it."

"It's cool." Armin replied with a grin, before settling in for the ride.

As they turned towards the mall, Eren put down his phone and turned to Armin. "Soooo. Whaddya think Shadis will do about the girl who applied?"

Armin looked away from the window and towards Eren, hastily covering up his expression as he had in fact, just been hoping Shadis would hire Annie.

"Oh, erm, I dunno. Maybe he'll hire her. You said you and Jean could use some help in the kitchen."

"Yeah maybe, but it depends on whether or not she's any good."

"Shadis said that her resume' had some kitchen work on it." Armin said.

"Really? Can she cook?"

"Not sure. There was no mention of her being a qualified chef."

"Hmph. I'll just have to make sure she's up to scratch then." Eren grinned.

"What did you say her name was Armin? Mikasa asked, not taking her eyes off the road.

"Annie. I can't remember her last name." Armin answered.

"I know of an Annie. She used to take martial arts lessons with me before I become a senior instructor, but she left before I got to know her."

"Maybe it's the same Annie." Eren suggested. "Reckon you could take her Mikasa?"

Mikasa didn't answer, but the look she gave Eren suggest that she thought she could take anyone. After walking through the entrance to the mall, Armin turned to Eren and Mikasa.

"What do you guys want to do? You said you wanted some clothes Eren. And I need some new shirts for work. My old ones are faded and kind of torn."

"Yeah, I need a new chefs jacket." Eren replied. "And there's some cool looking shirts in that store next to the bookshop."

Armin nodded and turned to Mikasa. "Anything you needed to do Mikasa?"

"Not really. I might go into the bookstore while you guys are getting your clothes and see what sort of martial arts books they have."

"Okay then. I wanted to look in the bookstore too, so me and Eren will get our stuff and meet you in the store."

Mikasa nodded and the trio headed their separate ways, Eren and Armin to the hospitality shop, and Mikasa to the bookstore. As they walked, Armin looked through the windows at the various displays put on by shops, not really listening to Eren rambling on about how bad a chef Jean was. The two young men entered the store and walked over to the clothing section, where a range of jackets, aprons, shirts and pants were neatly arranged by size and colour. Being hospitality, the only colors were black and white, but the style and sizes varied. Eren inspected a long sleeve, black button up jacket, while Armin picked out a few plain white shirts, that would suit the nature of his waiter position. Walking into the change rooms to try them on, Armin closed the partition behind him and took off the shirt he was wearing to try on his new ones. Slipping a shirt on, Armin began buttoning it up as he emerged from the change room, seeking Erens opinion.

"Hey Eren, what do you thi-"

But Armin stopped short of finishing his sentence, as he came face to face with none other than Annie. Armin stood in the doorway of the change room, shirt half done up, staring at Annie, whose eyes he noticed, quickly flicked up and down his chest and stomach, before locking onto his own eyes.

Armin stuttered for a moment. "A-Annie...I uh..."

He wasn't sure if she was listening though. Annie quickly tried to regain her composure and process her thoughts, but the sight of Armin standing there semi shirtless had caused her to go mentally blank. She had seen plenty of shirtless men in her time, having practiced martial arts in her early teenage years, but they had all been huge, bulging gym types, who built muscle for show instead of functionality, and always dropped out of classes because "it was too hard."

Armin was no bodybuilder by a long shot, but he had a fair build, and his half-undone shirt just barely showed the definition of some naturally developed abdominal muscles. His arms weren't huge, but they had a build that suited the boy, and seemed to give the impression that Armin could handle himself in a fight. Not that his personality gave off any indication that he would be so inclined.

Physically shaking her head to regather herself, Annie quickly resumed her regular, apathetic expression.

"Hello Annie. I um, didn't expect to see you here." Armin murmured, quickly buttoning up the rest of his shirt (to Annies slight disappointment)

"The feelings mutual." Annie replied, turning back to the stack of black T-shirts she had been sorting through.

"Um...I don't mean to be rude..." Armin began, as Annie continued to avoid looking at him, "but why ARE you here?"

Annie finally found some shirts in her size and stashed them in the basket she was carrying, on top of some long black pants she must have picked up earlier.

"Buying clothes for work." She replied, deadpan.

"For work? But I thought...Oh! Did Shadis hire you?" Armin asked, trying to hide the tone of excitement in his voice. Annie merely nodded and began to head towards the counter to pay for her clothes.

"Oh, well, I guess I'll see you at work then." Armin said, more to himself than to Annie, as she walked away.

"Hey Armin, you ready yet?" Eren called out just as he walked past Annie on his way over to Armin. Looking over his shoulder at Annies back, Eren turned to face Armin.

"What'd she want?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"Nothing." Armin replied. "She said she was buying clothes for work."

"For work? But does that mean that Shadis hired her?"

"I guess so." Armin said, shrugging. "We'll find out tomorrow when we go in."

Eren nodded before pointing at Armins shirt. "It looks good on you dude. It'll go good with your vest."

"Thanks Eren." Armin quickly returned to the change room to gather his other clothes and he and Eren paid for their items before heading off to meet Mikasa.

**CHAPTER 3**

"Jaeger, Kirschstein, this is Annie Leonhardt, she's here on a two week trial as a kitchenhand." Shadis spoke to the two chefs before rush hour, Annie by his side as he introduced her to the young men. Eren nodded before answering.

"Are you any good?" He asked.

"I can hold my own." She replied. Jean simply shrugged.

"We'll see." He said, as he turned back to his prep for the day.

"Allright then, do as they say, don't break anything, and good luck." Shadis gave Annie a pat on the shoulder before heading back to his office. Eren looked at Annie before indicating a pile of onions lying on the counter.

"We need those sliced for salad garnishes and frying." He said, "And then if you can handle it, there a whole side of steak in the fridge that needs to be cut into individual servings."

Annie didn't reply, simply nodding and walking over to the onions. Eren turned back to his own prep as Armin walked up to the serving window.

"How's she doing?" Armin asked.

"Well..." Eren said, looking over his shoulder at Annie, who to his surprise, had selected a knife, and finding it blunt, had started sharpening it with well practiced movements. "She seems to know what she's doing."

Armin nodded, and glanced at Annie, already slicing the onions quickly and precisely. Hoping she would do well, Armin walked back to the dining area as the first of the nights customers walked through the door.

Service that night was busy, but not hectic. The team of waiters, (and waitress) were content with themselves as Marco locked the door behind the final customer, wishing them a goodnight before turning around to face his team, who had already returned all the dirty dishes to the kitchen and were now sweeping the floor. Marco took a moment to draw breath before heading behind the counter to count the days takings and reset the till for the next night. Armin returned to the dining area, having gone to find fresh tableclothes, while Connie and Sasha took their turn polishing cutlery. The duo seemed to have found a unique way of polishing, that involved wrapping the knives in a cloth and flicking their wrist so the freshly polished knife shot out of their fists and into the basket of clean cutlery. Armin grinned and began replacing the tablecloths, wrapping the dirty ones in a plastic bag that Shadis would take home and clean himself.

His job done for the night, Armin head out back to find Eren before heading home. Pulling up a chair and sitting down outside the entrance to the kitchen, he struck up a conversation with Eren, who was sharpening his knives before carefully wrapping them up in his own roll-up knife sheath.

"Busy night tonight."

"Yeah it was. Horseface almost got overwhelmed." Eren replied, taking care not to take his eyes off the knives, which were now razor sharp.

"But you didn't?" Armin laughed.

"Nah, of course not. I'm the best."

"Sure you are."

"I am!" Eren feigned a look of annoyance at Armins prodding, but smiled at him nonetheless.

Armin looked over at Annie, who had rolled up her sleeves and was washing the dishes the team had brought in.

"And how did Annie go tonight?"

Eren glanced at Armin, his smile growing bigger as he saw Armin looking at Annie.

"Got your eye on the new girl have you?"

"What, no. I mean, I'm just curious." Armin stammered, quickly raising his hands in a sign of defence.

Eren chuckled before replying, "No, she did well. Didn't complain, didn't talk much at all for that matter. She's got good knife skills, and she knows her way around the kitchen. Jean and I showed her where a few things went, but besides that, she seems pretty competent."

"Do you think Shadis will let her stay?"

"I'd like it if she did. Horsey and I enjoy the help, it cuts down our prep time."

Armin nodded and looked back at Annie, secretly pleased that Eren was happy with Annie. If he was, Shadis was more likely to hire her for good. The rest of the team was picking up their bags and heading home for the night, so Armin returned to the counter to find his and Erens belongings so they too could knock off. As he waited for Eren by the door, Armin saw Annie emerge from the kitchen, looking her usual, stoic self, albeit, slightly tired.

"Hi Annie. How did you go?" Armin asked.

Annie just looked at him and for a moment Armin thought he might have said something wrong, but then she replied, "Fine. Nothing I haven't done before. It's work."

Armin nodded and smiled at her, receiving nothing in return, he let his smile drop before a thought crossed his mind.

"Hey Annie, how are you getting home? I'm sure Eren could give you a lift if you need one."

Annie shook her head. "No thanks. I catch the bus."

"Are you sure? The buses are pretty dodgy at night." Armin replied, a slight frown on his face.

"I'm sure." Annie nodded and walked out the door without another word, leaving Armin to wait in silence once more.

**CHAPTER 4**

A few days later it was business as usual for the 104th. Annie had been continuing to work well in the kitchen, and Armin was becoming more certain that she would become a permanent member of the team. Looking towards the door as a couple of customers arrived, Armin greeted them warmly.

"Good evening, table for two? This way please."

Guiding the two new arrivals to their table, Armin presented them with menus before going to find some clean glasses and a jug of water.

"What can I get you two gentleman this evening?" Armin asked the taller of the two men, a lean, but rather nervous looking person with dark hair. At Armins question, the young man jumped a little and looked up from the menu before stuttering.

"Uh-um. I, uh..."

"I'll have the steak and oven roasted potatoes with mushroom sauce please. Extra sauce, steak well done." The man's companion, slightly shorter, but still very tall and extremely well muscled spoke up, and the nervous customer looked immensely relieved. "What about you Bert?"

"I uh, I'll just have the pasta carbonara."

"And a side of garlic bread too please." The muscle man said.

"Certainly." Armin nodded and wrote down the order on his pad, then took the menus and walked towards the kitchen, calling the order out as he reached the serving window and stuck the order on the railing above the opening.

"One steak and potatoes, mushroom sauce with extra sauce and steak well done. One pasta carbonara and a side of garlic bread."

"On it." Came the reply from Jean, Eren was too busy with the previous order to answer.

"Annie, could you get the potatoes from the fridge and bring them over here." Jean called to Annie, who didn't reply but retrieved the necessary items and delivered them to Jean, who stood back up from the smaller fridge under the bench and deposited a steak onto the grill, before scooping some halved potatoes into a pan and beginning to cook them in flavoured olive oil and herbs. Armin risked a glance at Annie, already back at her workbench, before returning to the dining area.

Later that evening, with only the two men remaining in the restaurant, Armin began clearing tables as the kitchen wound down after service. Having been quite a busy night, there were quite a lot of plates and cutlery to gather, as Armin set about his task, Eren looked through the serving window and seeing the amount of work Armin had to do, turned to Annie.

"Hey Annie, you can go and give Armin a hand clearing tables if you want." Annie just shrugged and walked out towards the dining area.

"Annie! What are you doing here?" The muscled man called out and waved as Annie emerged from the kitchen.

"Damn." Annie thought to herself. "Evening Reiner. Bertholdt." She said, nodding to each of them in turn.

"Hi Annie." The tall man smiled at her, predictably, she didn't smile back, but Reiner ignored it and continued to chat to her as she cleared tables.

"So what are you doing here Annie?" He said.

"I work here now." Annie replied in a monotone, glancing back at Reiner.

"Since when?"

"About 10 days ago."

"Neat. Myself and Bertholdt decided to treat ourselves tonight, but we never expected to run into you here."

"I thought you were off on some football scholarship interstate." Annie said.

"I was, but I applied for a transfer to the local college to be closer to home and it was granted, Bert being at the same uni was a bonus." Reiner replied, winking at the taller boy, who blushed and broke a sweat. Annie didn't reply to that, but finished gathering the dirty dishes and walked back towards the kitchen.

"It was good to see you Annie!" Reiner called out one last time before returning his attention to Bert.

"Friends of yours?" Armin asked Annie, accompanying her with dishes of his own.

"Not really. Childhood acquaintances."

"They seem pretty friendly with you."

Once again, Annie just shrugged and turned her attention towards the many dishes and chopping boards that had somehow appeared during her time in the dining area. Rolling up her sleeves Annie turned on the water and picked up a washcloth. Washing a plate and setting it aside, she was surprised to see Armin pick up another cloth and dry the plates before stacking them neatly.

"What are you doing?" Annie asked.

Armin looked at her and mimicked her earlier shrug. "I've done what I need to, but you seem to have a lot of stuff to wash up. So I thought I'd help. These plates need to go back out anyway."

Annie didn't stop washing, but she did keep talking, which surprised Armin.

"Why would you help me?"

"I had this job once, I started as a kitchenhand, but I didn't like it, and I got in the way of Jean and Eren, so Shadis put me on waiting duty instead. I know how much washing dishes every night sucks"

Annie said nothing, but stared at the soapy water as she continued to clean.

As he dried and stacked the plates, Armin couldn't help but notice that Annie looked very pretty, the slight perspiration caused by the work and hot water caused her face to become flushed and some of her hair had come loose from her bun and fallen over her face.

"OUCH. DAMN!' Annie cursed and Armin looked at her in surprise as she withdrew a hand from the sink and shook it rapidly.

"What's wrong?" Armin asked. Gritting her teeth, Annie showed him her hand, which now bore a large gash on the index finger, blood mixing with water and causing it to run rapidly.

"Oh no. Hang on a second, we've got a first aid kit here somewhere." Armin put down his plate and hurried into Shadis' office, searching for the telltale red cross of the first aid kit. Once he found it he returned to the kitchen and produced a large band-aid and some wrapping tape while Annie dried her hand with some paper towel in order to see the injury. Annie held her wounded hand with her other, while Armin carefully cleaned the cut and applied the band-aid, securing it with the tape.

"How did you do this?" Armin asked, his attention focused on Annie's hand.

"Eren must have left one of his knives in the sink." Annie said, her attention equally as focused, but instead on Armins hands as they wrapped the tape around her finger. Annie couldn't remember anybody ever being so gentle to her, Armins hands were firm, but his touch was soft. Annies own hands were wrinkled from the constant washing, and they were hardened from years of martial arts training.

"There, that should be okay." Armin finished wrapping the wound and looked up at her. Annie quickly looked down at her hand, were Armin had done a wonderful job securing the band aid so that it wouldn't come loose, trying to suppress a blush, she thanked him and turned back to the sink.

"It's okay, I've got it.' Armin interrupted her and reached into the sink to retrieve the offending knife and replenish the bloody water.

"What are you talking about?" Annie asked, raising her eyebrow in curiosity, slightly put off that Armin thought she needed help.

"You can't really wash dishes with that hand." Armin nodded at her injury, "There isn't much left to do, so I'll finish up for you. Knock off early and go home for the night."

"But I-"

"I've got it." Armin insisted firmly, his posture indicating that he wouldn't take no for an answer. Annie finally gave in and sighed.

"Fine, thank you." She said, Armin smiled and turned his attention back to the dishes.

Annie picked up her bag and walked out the door, looking over her shoulder at Armin standing at the sink. Smiling slightly, Annie headed over to the bus stop, passing Reiner and Bert who were doing a pretty poor job of trying to be inconspicuous in their car as they attempted to kiss.

"Couldn't you guys do that at home?" She called as she passed them.

Bert recoiled like he'd been stung, and Reiner jumped in his seat, fearing that someone had been spying on them, but upon seeing Annie he relaxed.

"What are you doing out this early?" He asked. Annie raised her hand in reply.

"Wow, nice job. Who played nurse?"

"...Armin."

Reiner grinned and Annie knew she would never live this down.

"Hmmm, he's good with his hands. I bet you'd like to have him help you in other ways too."

"Shut up Reiner." Annie gave him the finger and continued on her way to the bus stop, glad for the darkness that concealed her blush.

**CHAPTER 5**

"Okay Annie, I've heard nothing but good stuff about you from Jaeger and Kirschstein over the past couple of weeks, so I'd be glad to have you stick around."

Annie stood in Shadis' office, the day after her cut, hearing the good news from the boss, she nodded and broke a rare smile.

"Thank you sir." She said, "I'll earn my money."

"I bet you will." Shadis replied. "But about that hand, take a few days off and let it heal, then come back." He gave her an equally rare smile, before shooing her out the door and returning to the mountains of paperwork that came with owning a restaurant.

Annie entered the restaurant, her hand healed after some time off, ready to get back to work. Unsurprisingly, Armin was the first to greet her as she entered.

"Good evening Annie."

Annie simply nodded, not breaking her stride as she continued toward her workbench. However, she paused at the entrance to the kitchen.

"Hey Armin." She called over her shoulder.

"Yes?"

"...Thanks for the other night. I appreciate it."

Armin smiled, pleased that Annie had begun to open up to him. "It was no problem. I hope your hand is okay now."

"Yeah. Yeah it is." Annie continued to look down at her bench, being careful not to cut herself again as she sliced tomatoes for that night, smiling to herself.

Bert and Reiner had become regulars at the 104th now, coming in for dinner every few nights, and Armin had taken quite a liking to Bert, the tall young man had become less flustered as time went on and Armin had nearly memorized his favourite dishes. At the end of a particularly quiet night, Armin was in the kitchen helping Annie wash dishes again while Connie and Sasha played tunes by swiping their fingers around the rims of the wine glasses and Marco was counting the till again. Jean and Eren had stepped outside for a bite to eat and Shadis was in his office.

"I'm glad you're working here now." Armin said quietly, attempting to start a conversation.

Annie remained quiet, and Armin thought his efforts might prove fruitless, but then she answered, just as quietly. "I am too."

"What did you do before you worked here?"

"I uh, I worked at Wall Maria, that restaurant that shut down earlier this year, and before that I was pretty handy in my own kitchen."

"Do your parents cook?"

"Dad was a chef. Taught me what I know, mom enrolled me in martial arts."

Armin nodded, remembering what Mikasa said about a student named Annie.

"Which school did you attend?"

"Legion Martial Arts."

"Do you remember someone named Mikasa Ackerman?" Armin asked,

Annie paused for a moment, searching her memory. "Yes. She was in the same class as me. Pretty good from what I remember."

"I'm friends with her." Armin said, "We live in the same neighbourhood."

Annie looked at Armin with a mix of amusement and jealousy. Amused at Armins openness, and slightly jealous that she didn't live closer to this charming young man.

"Mikasa thought she could take you in a fight." Armin grinned, prodding Annie for a reaction, and Annie gave him a look that said she doubted that. Still smiling at the thought of these two fearsome women fighting each other, Armin moved away from the dishes to another sink filled with the grill covers that had built up a layer of grease and grime. Picking up the special chemical required to clean these covers, Armin poured some of the fluid into the sink. Annie was just finishing up her stack of dishes when she heard the most painful cry she'd ever heard in her life.

"AAAARRRRGHHH!"

Dropping the plate in shock, it shattered on the floor as she turned around to see Armin on his knees , hands over his eyes as he continued to yell in pain.

"ARMIN! What happened?!" Annies voice rose in pitch as she crouched down on the floor to see what had caused Armin so much pain.

"The. Cleaning. Chemical!" Armin gasped out as he was reduced to shuddering gasps and groans of pain, hands still curled into fists as he pressed them into his eyes in an attempt to alleviate the pain.

"What's going on?" Eren emerged in the doorway of the kitchen, and upon seeing Armin on the floor in agony, he turned around and yelled outside.

"JEAN. CALL AN AMBULANCE NOW!"

"WHY? WHAT'S HAPPENED?"

"JUST DO IT!"

Eren joined Annie and Armin on the floor, turning to Annie.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. I was washing dishes and suddenly Armin was on the floor screaming. He said something about chemical."

"Shit." Eren looked over at the bottle of cleaning chemical on the floor. "Shit shit shit. Help me get him up."

"Why? What's wrong." She asked desperately.

"He's got chemical in his eyes. It probably splashed up from the sink. We've got to rinse his eyes out now."

Panic rose in Annies chest, but she helped Armin up, and got him over to the chemical free sink and turned on the water.

"Armin come on, you've gotta rinse your eyes out now. Come on man, it's gonna hurt, but it'll save your eyes." Eren spoke to Armin firmly and attempted to pry Armins hands away from his eyes. Armin attempted to relax as best he could and allowed his hands to be lowered, Annie almost recoiled in shock at the sight of his eyes.

The skin surrounding Armins eyes had been burnt by the chemical, leaving it red raw and almost blistering, his eyes themselves had become bloodshot, but at the same time they were milky pale as a result of the burn. Armin was sobbing now, and it broke Annie's heart to hear it, but she supported him as Eren splashed water into his eyes. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, they heard the wailing of the ambulance sirens approaching outside.

"Help me get him to the ambulance." Eren said. Annie nodded and slung one of Armins arms over her shoulders and she and Eren half dragged, half supported Armin to the ambulance. As they lay him on the gurney, one of the paramedics strapped him down as he began to writhe in pain again, attempting to rub his eyes. Annie stepped back as the paramedic climbed into the ambulance and shut the door behind him, while Eren explained the situation to the senior paramedic, who was about to climb into the cabin. The man nodded and said something to Eren, before shutting his door and setting off for the hospital.

**CHAPTER 6**

The waiting room in the hospital was a cold place. Everthing painted white and with an overpowering smell of bleach. Even the chairs were uninviting, rigid plastic and a sorry attempt at cushions gave little relief for ones backside. But Eren, Mikasa and Annie still occupied their chairs, several hours after Armin had been admitted. Annie sat several chairs away from the other two, feeling as though she didn't belong there, but she was still worried sick about Armin and so she stayed despite her uneasiness. Looking up from the floor, Mikasa faced Annie.

"Tell me what happened." Her tone was stiff, and demanded an answer, but there was no malice or blame behind it.

Annie returned her stare before answering. "I don't know. We were talking at the sink, washing dishes, then Armin went over to the other sink with the grill covers and the next thing I know he was on the ground screaming in pain." Annie shuddered at the memory of Armins voice as he knelt on the floor.

"He got cleaning chemical in his eyes." Eren told Mikasa. "We have safety glasses in the kitchen, but I never thought to tell Armin to use them because myself and Jean normally clean the covers." Mikasa nodded, her normally neutral expression laced with worry for her childhood friend as the trio fell back into uncomfortable silence, all immersed in their own thoughts and worries for their friend. Looking up at the sound of footsteps, the three young adults were met by the sight of a short, pretty blonde nurse and her companion, another nurse, much taller, with dark hair and plenty of freckles.

"Evening guys." The taller nurse spoke. Her nametag identified her as Ymir, "You're friend is still with us. He's resting now, but he's out of any immediate danger." Annie, Eren and Mikasa breathed a collective sigh of relief, but all held their breath again as the shorter nurse, Christa, spoke up.

"However, there is a problem." She began, and the look on her face clearly said this was more than a slight problem. "The chemical was very acidic, and he has suffered quite a lot of damage to the eyes themselves."

"So what are you saying?" Eren demanded, standing up despite Mikasas restraining grip on his sleeve. "That he's going to be blind?!"

Christa looked slightly worried, and Ymir stepped forward, her stance indicating that she was more than ready to restrain Eren using more physical methods if need be.

"No sir." Ymir spoke. "We are saying that there is a possibility that he _may_ go blind. Regardless, he will have impaired vision, and a best case scenario is some scarring and the need for glasses."

Annie listened in silence simultaneously thankful for the way Ymir hadn't sugar coated Armins prognosis, but still trying to stifle a feeling of dread, Eren sat down with his head in his hands and Mikasa put an arm around him and gave him a comforting hug.

"He'll be okay." She said, "I didn't raise him to be weak." Eren laughed a little at that and looked up at Christa again.

"Sorry nurse." He said meekly, "Is there any chance we could get in to see him?"

Christa smiled understandingly, "Not right now, since he's sleeping. But you can come back tomorrow when he's awake." Eren nodded, suddenly overcome with tiredness, Mikasa stifled a yawn too before they both stood up and headed for the carpark.

"Annie, come on. I'll give you a lift. You can't catch the bus at this hour." Annie looked up at Mikasa, who was standing in the doorway, waiting for her.

For a second, Annie considered being stubborn and saying no, but it was late, and she _was _tired and there was no way she'd get in to see Armin that night...Sighing, she stood up, thankful to be off the pitiful excuse for a chair and followed Mikasa out the door.

Annie rose early the next morning, anxious to go and see Armin. Mikasa and Eren had offered to take her to the hospital with them and she had said yes. Throwing on her grey hoodie and a pair of jeans, she went downstairs, calling goodbye to her parents as she walked out the door and stood on the porch to wait for the other two.

As the new trio entered the hallway to Armins room, Annie fell behind, once again feeling as though she was intruding on something she shouldn't. But Mikasa noticed and beckoned her forward.

"You coming Annie, you wanted to see him didn't you?"

Annie was surprised, as she never thought Mikasa would have approved of her presence among the three childhood friends.

"Come on. He'll want to see-" Mikasa paused for a moment, "He'll want to know you visited." That sealed it for Annie, who resumed walking and fell back into step behind Eren and Mikasa. The three of them entered Armins room, where he sat upright on his bed, looking completely normal, if it weren't for the bandages across his eyes.

"Hello?" Armins head turned towards the door at the sound of footsteps.

"Hello Armin." Mikasa replied kindly.

"Mikasa! Good to...good of you to be here."

"Of course I'm here. Had to make sure you're okay."

"Me? Oh I'm fine, can't see much, but I'm fine besides that. Is Eren with you?"

"Sup Armin." Eren said as he walked around the other side of Armins bed and gave him a pat on the shoulder before leaning on the windowsill.

"Hi Eren! How are things at work?"

Eren laughed at Armin, "Come on man, take it easy. It's only been half a day. Shadis says get well and take the time you need, I have to get back to the kitchen later, but Jean, Marco, Connie and Sasha all send their love."

That got a smile out of Armin, who seemed to relax a little, and Annie couldn't help but be slightly amused that he was still worrying about his job despite the fact that he might be blind.

"But he doesn't know that yet." She thought to herself sadly, as she stood back from the bed and watched Eren and Mikasa talk with Armin. After a few minutes, Eren noticed Annie still standing silently and looked over at Mikasa, jerking his head towards the observing girl. Mikasa looked over at Annie too and nodded at Eren.

"Good to see you Armin." Mikasa said. "Glad you're feeling better. Eren and I should probably get back to work, but we'll stop by later on this evening."

"Yeah, for sure." Said Eren. "I'll bring you something to eat too. It has to be better than whatever they're serving you here." Armin laughed again.

"Okay then guys, thanks for stopping by. Have a good day." Eren shook Armins hand and Mikasa gave him quick hug, before they headed towards the door, Mikasa making sure to catch Annies eye before looking at Armin and then back to Annie, who understood the message and remained where she was.

Armin remained upright in his bed as his two friends exited, listening to the sound of their fading footsteps. Becoming aware of another presence in the room, he turned his head again.

"Hello? Is someone still here?"

Quietly, Annie approached Armins bed, reaching for his hand on impulse, but stopping herself.

"Hello Armin." She said quietly.

"Annie?" Armin asked confused, "H-hi. I didn't expect you to visit."

Annie smiled a little at the boys stutter and the faint blush rising in his cheeks, sort of glad that he couldn't see her own blush that had formed after she stopped reaching for his hand.

"How are you doing?" Annie asked.

"Oh, not bad. My eyes are a bit sore, and I really want to rub them. But the doctors said I have to try and avoid touching them as much as possible."

"That's a shame. Sucks to be you." Annie attempted to lighten the mood.

"Not really. The doctors are kind, although this bed is rather uncomfortable." Armin chuckled.

Annie laughed quietly too, glad that Armin hadn't lost a sense of humour. "How was last night?" She asked cautiously.

Armins smile faded at the thought. "To be honest? Horrible. They had to flush out my eyes, so a couple of nurses had to hold my eyes open while they flushed several litres of water over them."

"Lovely."

"Oh yes. It was."

They fell into a semi-awkward silence after that, Annie remaining standing by Armins side. After a while, Armin spoke up.

"Annie? I'm kind of tired, so I'm going to sleep for a bit. Um, do you have a way to get home."

Annie looked up at the sound of Armins voice and nodded. "Sure thing Armin. I'll catch the bus home and get ready for work."

"Allright then. Say hi to everyone for me, and take care of yourself."

"I will Armin. Sleep well." And with that, Annie walked slowly out of the room before turning in the direction of the bus stop outside the hospital.

**CHAPTER 7**

A few days later on her day off, Annie visited Armin again, making her own way to the hospital this time. She carried a bag with her today, which was unusual for her. But what was even more unusual was the contents of the bag, inside where several books of varying thickness and subjects. As she entered Armins room, he looked towards the door, bandages still covering his eyes, and greeted the newcomer with his usual questioning "Hello?"

"Good morning Armin." Annie replied, setting down the bag on the chair next to his bed.

"Hello Annie!" Armin said, and Annie noticed he seemed a lot happier than he had. "Did you put something on the chair?"

Annie marvelled at how Armins ability to pick up things via audio cues had improved in such a short time.

"Yes, some books."

"Oh! Great, I haven't read for ages. Well, since this." he indicated his eyes "But I don't think I can read them with these bandages."

Annie looked out the window before replying. "Well, that's why I came. I thought maybe you wouldn't mind if I read to you instead."

"Annie! Would you really do that? I mean, you don't have to. I can wait until they take the bandages off."

With that, Annie sighed and turned to face Armin.

"That's the thing Armin." She began softly, so softly that Armin had to strain his ears to hear her as he turned his head questioningly. "The doctors don't know if you'll be able to see again. Ever."

Armin sat ramrod straight, processing what he had just heard. "What? What do you mean?"

Taking a deep breath, Annie answered. She had considered waiting until Eren and Mikasa were present, but she still felt some form of guilt over Armins accident and so she continued. "The acid burn to your eyes, the doctors won't know for at least another 3 days whether or not it was bad enough to destroy your retina." Armin remained sitting up, and Annie felt she would rather tear her own heart out than watch this poor boy react to the news.

"Are-are you sure?" Armin asked her, his voice breaking.

Annie nodded, but didn't reply, and Armins shoulders began to shudder as his grief and fear overtook him. Annie hesitated for a moment, before gently embracing the boy, who buried his head in her shoulder as tears streamed from his damaged eyes. Uncertain of what to do, Annie merely held Armin and let him drain his sorrow through his tears. The two of them remained there for several minutes, Armins sobs echoing in the enclosed space of his room. Finally, Armin calmed down enough to lie back on his bed and face the ceiling. Annies hoodie now bore several darker patches of grey where Armins tears had fallen, but she didn't pay any attention to them, instead trying to think of the best way to console Armin.

"Annie..." Armins voice, hoarse from his crying, caught her attention. "I-I think I'll take you up on that offer to read to me. If that's allright."

"Of course it is Armin." Annie replied, picking up the bag that contained the books and laying them out on the bed.

"What would you like me to read?" She asked hesitantly. Annie hadn't read a lot of books herself, mostly cooking and martial arts titles, but she had a few history and fiction books she had aquired over the years.

"Anything. Just a book. Any book." Armin said, still facing the ceiling. Nodding sadly, Annie picked up the closest to her "An encyclopedia of the Worlds Seas and Oceans" and opened it to the first page.

"More than 70% of the world is covered in water..."

**CHAPTER 8**

10 days after Armins accident, Eren, Mikasa and Armins parents stood in his room, with Annie occupying the seat beside Armin, anxiously awaiting the doctors verdict as he unwrapped Armins eyes. The group gathered collectively held their breath as the last bandage fell away, and Armins eyes were revealed. At first glance Annie thought he might be okay, the pupils had regained their colour, and the surrounding eyes were no longer bloodshot and swollen, although the skin surrounding his eyes was still quite red. However as the doctor looked at Armin, he held up 3 fingers and asked Armin to tell him how many he saw.

"I'm not sure." Armin said dejectedly, "it's all very blurry." The doctor nodded to himself.

"Hmmm. I was expecting this. You're eyes have suffered a degree of damage from the chemical, however you do still have some vision, which is good. As a matter of fact, I consulted the hospitals optometrist, who made up a few glasses for you to try." As he spoke, the doctor produced three sets of glasses from his coat pocket, all of a similar, thick, black-rimmed style. Two of the glasses appeared the same, however one of the pairs had very dark lenses, that were almost impossible to see through.

"Try these on." The doctor said, handing Armin the first pair of clear glasses. Armin fumbled with the glasses slightly as he regained his coordination, but eventually managed to slip them on and look around.

"I can see outlines and shapes, but nothing with definite detail." He replied. The doctor nodded and handed Armin the second clear pair. Armin swapped them over and after blinking a few times, his face lit up.

"Hi guys!" He said excitedly. "Good to see you again." Eren and Mikasa laughed and embraced Armin, while Armins parents shook hands with the doctor. Annie sat quietly next to Armin, having not moved from her chair all this time and not wanting to interrupt. But this time Eren surprised her by shifting over to include her in the hug. Slightly shocked, Annie looked up to find herself in much closer proximity to Armin than she had ever been, and an equally surprised Armin looking at her from behind his new glasses.

"They ugh, they suit you." Annie mumbled, as Eren continued to bear hug everyone. Armin blushed slightly.

"He's so cute when he does that." Annie thought to herself.

"Thanks Annie." Armin replied, so that only she could hear. Feeling emboldened by the joyous atmosphere in the room, Annie threw caution to the wind and gave Armin a quick kiss on the lips. Armins eyes widened, Annie blushed at her own forwardness and Eren and Mikasa raised an eyebrow at each other, before shrugging and stepping back.

"But what were the glasses with black lenses for?" Armins father asked the doctor.

"Well. Those were for a worst case scenario." The doctor replied carefully. "Had he been blind, I would have given Armin these to cover his eyes."

Armins father pursed his lips and grimaced, before turning back to the four friends now standing near the bed.

"Well I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving." Eren declared. "The kitchen is free tonight, but everyone is waiting for us to get back to work, so me and Horseface can go and cook up a feast and we'll have the restaurant for ourselves tonight to celebrate."

The rest of the group agreed with various declarations of hunger and eagerness, and the group headed towards the elevator to the exit of the hospital. Bringing up the rear, Armin and Annie, now holding hands, enjoyed each other's company as they walked.

"Annie?" Armin began. Annie cocked an eyebrow, indicating for him to continue.

"Thanks for uh, reading to me before. When I couldn't see." Armin murmured so as not to be overheard by Eren.

"Oh." Annie smiled and her cheeks put on a faint pink tinge. "No worries. I was glad to. I'd never read to anybody before."

"You did a great job. Maybe if you'd like you could come around to my house and I'll show you the books that I have?"

Annie looked down at their interlocked hands and back up to Armin, looking rather handsome and sophisticated in his new glasses.

"Yeah. Yeah I'd like that."


End file.
